The
Tempest by William Shakespeare. Bell
Shakespeare Company directed by Peter Evans at The Playhouse,
August 23 to September 2, 2006, 7.30pm.
The magic arts came to life in this production of The
Tempest on opening night last Friday.
Our imagination was transported to a theatrical island, a small space
within a confusing universe, where we were given the opportunity to come to
grips with personal and political reality, just as Shakespeare intended. Bell Shakespeare deserves our gratitude.
Evans has done the right thing by the play. The acting is simple and sincere, taking
place in a beautiful forest filled with ethereal music. Designer Robert Kemp, composer Basil Hogios
and the lighting designer, Canberran Mark Truebridge have created an
environment exactly suited to the play’s moods.
Acting which looks so simple requires awesome
technique. The cast ranges from a
Gonzalo played with great clarity by Ron Haddrick, who received an MBE in 1974
for his already longstanding services to the arts, to Saskia Smith, a recent
NIDA graduate, whose characterisation and singing voice as the spirit Ariel
focussed our attention on the theme of power, justice and freedom.
The drunkards Trinculo and Stephano (James Wardlaw and
Tony Taylor) were very funny. We felt
for the honest King Alonso (Paul Bertram), and found the scheming Antonio and
Sebastian (David Whitney and Andrew McDonell) hateful. They were the cause of Prospero’s banishment
and justifiable desire for revenge.
John Bell, starring as Prospero, has a harshness in his
voice, a quality which has annoyed me in past productions. But his ability to communicate Prospero’s
feelings and thoughts, often with no more than a turn of his head, soon
concentrated my mind on important matters.
Ferdinand and Miranda’s love, for example, so freshly played by Stephen
Phillips and Freya Stafford. Or dealing
with Nathan Lovejoy’s high-energy Caliban, an angry slave who clearly deserved
proper treatment. And finally in speaking directly to us, the audience, asking
us to release him from his role, which we did with genuine and respectful
applause for Bell and the whole company.
This is among the most satisfying performances of The
Tempest I have seen.
© Frank McKone M.A., F.A.C.E.
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